3. High blood pressure
Around 35% of the people in England have high blood pressure but
many people don’t know.
The only way of knowing there is a problem is to have your blood
pressure measured.
All adults should have their blood pressure checked at least every
five years. If you haven’t had yours measured, or you don’t know
what your blood pressure reading is, ask your GP to check it for you
systolic pressure – the pressure of the blood when your heart beats
to pump blood out.
diastolic pressure – the pressure of the blood when your heart rests
in between beats, which reflects how strongly your arteries are
resisting blood flow.
4. For most people, there may be no single cause for their high
blood pressure. We do not know exactly what causes high
blood pressure. We do know that your lifestyle can affect your
risk of developing it. You are at a higher risk if:
• you eat too much salt;
• you don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables;
• you are not active enough;
• you are overweight; or
• you drink too much alcohol.
High blood pressure
5. Who is most at risk?
Your chances of having high blood pressure increase as you get older.
There is often no clear cause of high blood pressure but you are at
increased risk if you:
• are overweight
• have a relative with high blood pressure
• smoke
• are of African or Caribbean descent
• eat too much salt
• don't eat enough fruit and vegetables
• don't do enough exercise
• drink too much coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
• drink too much alcohol
• are aged over 65
If you fall into any of the groups listed above, consider making changes
to your lifestyle to lower your risk of high blood pressure. Also consider
having your blood pressure checked more often, ideally about once a
year.
6. Prevention
You can take steps to prevent high blood pressure
by:
• losing weight if you need to
• reducing the amount of salt you eat
• exercising regularly
• eating a healthy diet
• cutting back if you drink too much alcohol
• stopping smoking
• cutting down on caffeine
7. Scurvy
Vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid) is vital for the body, because it's needed to make
collagen. Collagen is a type of protein found in many different types of tissue, such as
skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage.
Without vitamin C, collagen can't be replaced and the different types of tissue break
down, leading to the symptoms of scurvy. These include:
• muscle and joint pain
• tiredness
• the appearance of red dots on the skin
• bleeding and swelling of the gums
• Read more about the symptoms of scurvy.
• Unlike some other types of vitamins, the human body is unable to make
vitamin C.
• All of the vitamin C that the body needs has to come from your diet, so
the best way to prevent scurvy is to eat a healthy, balanced diet that
contains plenty of fruit and vegetables.
8. Who's affected by scurvy?
People tend to think that scurvy is a condition of the past,
because our diet and standard of living has improved over
the years.
However, although rare, vitamin C deficiency can still be a
problem for certain groups of people, including:
• elderly people who are unable to maintain a healthy
diet
• people who smoke or have a dependency on alcohol or
drugs
• people on a low income
• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may also
be at risk of getting scurvy if they will only eat certain
foods that aren’t good sources of vitamin C.
9. Treating scurvy
A doctor will usually be able to diagnose scurvy by asking
about your symptoms and diet. They may also carry out a
blood test to measure the level of vitamin C in your
blood.
Treatment for scurvy is relatively straightforward. It
involves taking vitamin C supplements and eating food
that's high in vitamin C. This should quickly reverse the
harmful symptoms of scurvy.
The fact that a person has scurvy in the first place is
usually a sign that they're vulnerable or living a chaotic
lifestyle. Referral to a dietician, social worker or mental
healthcare professional may be required to prevent
further episodes of scurvy or other problems linked to
malnutrition.
